Template into Existing DW Pages

Duplicates content

[Garcias_Mom]

Hi all - I just joined up.

I searched previous messages and found a similar question from back in Feb of 2003 but no helpful answer. Perhaps someone has resolved this issue since then?

I have inherited about 400 pages created in DreamWeaver that are saved as individual pages. I have to create a site and apply templates to these pages. I created a template copied from one of the pages (to preserve the layout and existing graphics) and created an editible region for the text. I can find no way to apply the template to these pages without having the entire existing page drop itself into the new editable region, creating essentially a duplicate page within a page. I've read DW Help sites on the web all day and am stymied. Any suggestions from you good folks?

Thanks! Karen

[traffik daddy]

Hello Karen,

I don't fully understand your question. Are you after using just one page for graphics and layout without having to duplicate the pages?

If I understand correctly, you are after keeping the size of your pages to a bear minimum?

I may be way off the mark here but try looking into Server Side Includes.

Whats the theme of your site? You say you are applying templates to these pages? Is the site a downloadable web template site?

Do you use frames?

You need to be more specific in this type of subject and I'll try to give you a little bit of advice :)

Terry

[caine]

Garcias_Mom,

Welcome to webmasterworld.

Yep your underlying assumptions are correct, unless the 400 pages are copied from a template, with there own unique content then, i'm afraid to say it can't be done.

Basically, with your built template, you will need to strip out all of the unique content of each and every one of the 400 pages, then slowly and methodically build them into the template for each page. At this point then any structural or graphical changes inherent to the template will alter all pages prescribing to the template.

[Garcias_Mom]

Thank you Terri and Caine!

Terri, briefly, what I have are 400 pages created in DW, each created individually with nothing linking them - each stands alone. Each has a graphic header, a table structure for the whole page, and text. Nothing else. I wanted the template to replace everything but the text. My goal is to get these pages into a site so I can make global changes rather than opening each page at a time.

When I first tried to apply the template to a page, it dropped the entire original page, graphics and all, into the editable region of the template, essentially creating a page within a page.

HOWEVER, after much thinking and losing a little sleep I have come up with what I think is a reasonable solution. I've done a global search and replace to remove all the graphics and table definitions from the 400 pages and placed a non-HTML character marker in place of the removed code. Now, I'm going to try to do the same thing with the template code, searching and replacing the marker in all these pages. I'm hoping that the pages will then recognize the template once the code has been inserted.

But heck, even if I do have to end up applying the template individually, it's still better than deleting all those graphics individually.

I'll let you all know how it goes!

Karen

[Garcias_Mom]

OK. I just had to prove it to myself - you all are right! This just can't be done. I did manage to strip out all the graphics and table structures from my existing documents using find and replace, but trying to replace with the template code just didn't take. It DID make the pages look like the template, but the template wasn't actually associated with the pages.

But at least now I can apply the template to each page without having to strip out all the code individually.

Thank you all so much for your advice! This is a great place - I'll be back often just to read and get ideas.

Karen (Garcia the cat's mom)